On Monday evening we lit a candle for each of those who died at Bondi, held a minutes silence to grieve their loss and spent time in reading the scriptures and in prayer.
How do we respond to a world of brokenness and sin? How do we protect our children and prevent these kinds of incidents happening again?
Jesus say in Luke 6:27: ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’ And Jesus himself modelled this message as he himself laid down his own life to bear the sins of his enemies (us) and offer us forgiveness, reconciliation with God and hope of eternal life.
At Christmas time we remember that Jesus is the true light coming into the world – the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1).
When we feel unsettled and disturbed by the darkness of our world, we should fix our eyes on the light of Christ. We condemn hate and respond with love. I’m praying that you can look to Christ’s example as you relate to your relatives around the Christmas table and as you relate to your neighbours, colleagues and friends. No matter what religion, race or gender, every Australian deserves to feel safe and to receive the true peace of Christmas – the peace of Life in Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
